Minors arrested in Kisumu as juvenile menace spreads

Twenty-eight minors were on Tuesday night arrested while making merry and engaging in indecent acts in Kisumu, bringing the total number of youngsters nabbed caught in binge drinking and sex orgies to over 100 in just four days,

According to police, the youngsters were rounded up in Lolwe and Milimani estates in the lakeside city.

Police officers recovered video cameras and mobile phones the youngsters aged between 14 and 17 were using to film their indecent acts.

Nyanza Regional police boss Karanja Muiruri confirmed his officers from the Kisumu police central police station arrested the minors who were locked up in a room having fun.

Muiruri said: “there was a house party and when we got the information, our officers rushed to confirm and indeed the children were in violation of the law”.

During the operation, three adults aged 18, 19 and 21 were also arrested. Those arrested were yesterday arraigned before a Kisumu court and charged with contravening Covid-19 protocols.

Hillary Odhiambo 18, Polycarp Njuguna, 18, and Kenyaya Ombesa, 21, appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Robinson Ondieki and pleaded guilty for committing the offence.

Found in crowded place

The court heard that on November 24 at around 10.00pm, they were found in a crowded place and failed to observe social distancing of 1.5m from each other contrary to the ministry of health directives.

Court documents indicate that the suspects were found without face masks thereby exposing themselves to health risks of spreading or contracting the virus.

In the second count, they were charged with contravening Covid-19 directives.

Ondieki yesterday told the court that they will stay in custody at Central Police Station as they wait to know their fate today (Thursday).

The police boss said the minors were however released and handed over to their parents to take them to hospital to ascertain whether or not they had engaged in sexual intercourse.

“Because we could not allow the children to be locked inside the cells because of Covid, we have instructed the parents to bring as medical reports soonest “ he said.

Human rights defenders in Kisumu county led by Tuli Tulitu condemned the incident and blamed the owners of the houses the minors were found in.

Tulitu said; “the police should start by arresting the owners of these houses where such parties are held because they are the ones encouraging such vices that have spread in many estates”.

The Kisumu incident is the latest in a worrying trend where minors, as young as twelve, are escaping from their parents’ watch and sneaking into house parties to engage in binge drinking and sex orgies. 

Before the Kisumu incident, police had swooped in on dozens of youngsters enjoying themselves in drugs and alcohol fuelled parties in Nairobi, Samburu and Bungoma counties.

In the Nairobi incident, 44 minors were busted in a house in Mountain View estate after police stormed a house party and recovered alcohol, bhang and used condoms.

Alcohol-feulled parties

Several empty whisky bottles and rolls of bhang were recovered from the house owned by a 41-year old woman.

A day earlier, a group of teenage girls who had disappeared from their homes in Nairobi’s Komarock estate were found in Thika, Kiambu county.

The 20 youngsters arrested in a rented house in Maralal town, Samburu county on Monday morning  were aged between 15 and 17 years. They were partying and consuming alcohol.

Maralal town assistant chief Celina Lemakara led police officers, Nyumba Kumi officials and village elders to the house.

The Forms One and Form Four students – five girls and 15 boys from a local school had bought assorted alcohol, cigarettes and miraa.

In Webuye town, at least 21 teenagers were busted partying in a restaurant in town on Sunday evening.